Volunteers ready to clean up the river

Annual cleaning event is Saturday

DIANE RODGERSSpecial Projects Editor

Published Tuesday, March 15, 2005

click photo to enlarge

KATIE DOUGHERTY, 12, removes an aluminum can from the St. Johns River near Shands Bridge on March 20, 2004. Dougherty, a student at Fruit Cove Middle School, came with her friend Shelby Skelton and mother Sharon Dougherty to remove litter as a part of the annual St. Johns River Cleanup. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the effort to remove litter from the St. Johns River along the river throughout St. Johns County.

By JUSTIN YURKANIN, Staff When Robin Wilson drives down County Road 13 near her home in Colee Cove, she sees trash on the side of the road. And she knows where it's headed.

A heavy rain will push it into the ditches which lead to the waterways.

"It just flows into Six-Mile Creek," she said.

That's why Wilson has volunteered with the St. Johns River Cleanup the past five years.

"When I'm not working, I'm on the river," Wilson said. "I think it's terribly important to keep it clean."

The 10th annual cleanup is set for 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday.

About 200 people usually show up at Trout Creek Park, the headquarters for the St. Johns County cleanup.

"We have a huge turnout here," said Beverly Fleming, Trout Creek Park director. "This has actually been one of the largest cleanup sites organized on the river in years past."

click photo to enlarge

St. Johns River Cleanup Sites

By Staff

Some come in kayaks and boats.

"They find all kinds of trash," Fleming said.

Volunteers have hauled bedsprings, tires and refrigerators off the banks of the river and its tributaries.

"Even parts of cars," Fleming said.

Otherwise, volunteers find lots of plastic and aluminum such as empty soda bottles and cans.

"A lot of times things blow out of boats," Fleming said. "Other times they're washed into the river on side streams."

That's why volunteers clean up Trout, Six-Mile, Julington, Cunningham, Durbin and Wards creeks, and the man-made canals in the Northwest. They also clean up the side of State Road 13 where it curves close to the river, especially in Picolata and Riverdale.

"They know how close it is for the garbage on the road to blow into the river," Fleming said.

The most unusual item found at the cleanup was an island. Volunteers found a plastic 6-foot-by-6-foot dock floating on the water. Vegetation had started to grow on it.

"It had its own trees," said Chris Benjamin, environmental coordinator for the St. Johns County Solid Waste Management Department.

Volunteers have also found a truck and a set of golf clubs.

"Now that I can understand," Benjamin said with a laugh.

Residents collect between 20,000 to 40,000 pounds of trash each year. That would be equivalent to four to five full garbage trucks.

"We got over 50,000 pounds one year," Benjamin said.

Fleming said she likes the timing of the cleanup.

"We are going into the baby season," she said. That's when baby birds, otters, raccoons and other river wildlife emerge.

She said it's sad to see these babies tangled up in plastic six-pack holders or fishing line.

"It is vitally important we have the plastic out of the river," Fleming said. "It's important all year long. It is especially important this time of year."

It's also important for human health. For example, tires, cans and buckets make great breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

"Mosquito problems are definitely people problems," Fleming said.

Pressure-treated wood leaks arsenic into waterways, and a refrigerator can add trace elements such as mercury into the water.

"Some of the big stuff is just a hazard in navigation," Benjamin said. "We just want to keep the whole habitat clean."

The river cleanup was the concept of two St. Johns County residents, Susan Van Hoek and Bill Watkins.

"It became bigger than a county idea," Benjamin said.

The St. Johns River Water Management District took it over, organizing 19 counties in the effort. Three years ago, the district bowed out of the event, but Benjamin kept it alive in St. Johns County.

"Trout Creek Park has been known for its celebrations after the cleanup. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be available for 25 cents to 50 cents apiece.

"Usually we've had bluegrass or country music," Fleming said. And several organizations set up exhibits including Mosquito Control and the Master Naturalists.

The cleanup will take place in 30 locations in the Northwest and Hastings. Some groups plan to start on Thursday. Bags, gloves and supplies may be picked up in advance or at the cleanup headquarters at Trout Creek Park on State Road 13.

Benjamin suggested comfortable clothes and shoes and the use of hats and sunscreen for protection. All volunteers will be issued gloves and plastic trash bags.

Registration forms can be found at the St. Johns County libraries or from the Solid Waste Department. For information or to get supplies in advance, call Benjamin at 824-9720.